Late summer. Such a cutey.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fall 2011!!

I'm kind of embarrassed that 6 months have gone by but I have 4 - well actually 5,  good excuses (counting Dan).  I thought I would mainly add pictures.  Grace is sleeping right now. She had her 2nd surgery to repair her palate on Thursday.  It looks so good!  There is just a small opening left & she won't need surgery again until she is about 8. (Our dentist told me she was a better patient than her mother and it's soooo true!) She has made huge strides in all areas - attachment, language, behavior etc.  Her speech is still pretty delayed but this last surgery should help with that.  She goes to some childcare and also to a couple hours of preschool & 1/2 hr speech therapy each week.

Gracie is three now.  She could be potty-trained completely but we haven't worked on it much w/ all the other adjustments she has had to make.  Should be completely trained here soon.  We had a great summer w/ camping, swimming at  the lake, and visits from relatives.  Went on a trips to Arizona, Oregon, & Alaska to see family.  In early October we went to Yellowstone for a few days.  She is a really good traveler- although long drives are not her favorite... & therefore not ours either.  Recently she has begun to want to come home more than she used to, which I think is a great sign of feeling secure and settled.  Night terrors are much improved.  We still have a lot of issues like her over-the-top demand for my attention all the time but all issues are fading from the forefront.Better get to the pictures!  Please leave a post and I'll try to get in touch again with some of you as I've lost a few emails!


Ben, Dan, & Josh on 25 mile cross-country hike

Could this sweet thing ever be bratty????


Pre-surgery.  She knew something was up this time but what a trooper!!





So glad this is the last surgery for her for awhile.




Aunt Heidi is the best story reader!


Hey - these army helmets come in handy, even at the store!

Grandpa's snap-pockets on his shirt were quite captivating and good stuff is kept in those pockets too.

"Go, Go Gracie"  Happy 3rd birthday!






Rockin out w/ Josh




Aunt Lisa has a way fun house and lots of nearby exciting escalators (in the malls). 

Fishin on Uncle Brian's boat in Alaska.  Don't even think about taking this life jacket off me.  I love buckles.




4th of July parade watching

Saturday, April 16, 2011

April Showers

Hi everyone!  It's been a long time again for me to get back to blogging.  The April showers have mostly been snow and we're pretty sick of it.  Grace continues to change and is growing so fast.  I can't believe how much bigger she looks sometimes.  We were sick a LOT this winter so hoping that will turn around. Dan calls Gracie the germ "transporter".

We still haven't taken her in for the second minor surgery on her mouth. It is supposed to be an in-office thing but we were insanely busy through the winter & just not quite up to the idea yet.  She also has a cavity, which isn't surprising because her teeth are pretty messed up w/ the palate issue.  Her teeth didn't look good from when we first got her.

She loves being outside still and so with spring coming, that can happen more often.  We took a little trip to Oregon over spring break to see the grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins.  It was a nice break and she loved the green grass.

We have some other trips planned to see family this spring and early summer.  She is Miss demanding, let me tell you - so just sitting down doing this has me about ripping my hair out.  Josh gave her some cookie cereal (health food) so that should keep her happy for awhile.  Her night terrors have subsided but we still have some bad nights - last night being one of them.  We are working on some "life skills" of playing alone for small amounts of time!  This is not a skill she is highly adept at yet!!!  The boys continue to do so well with her and she's very attached to them.  Her and Snickers, the choc lab, have become pals. Gracie lays on Snickers and gives her dolls or medicine. Snickers is a big teddy bear and really the only pet that will hold still when the "G-force" is nearby!  Well, lots to do today!  Her very first Easter celebration is coming up and I already have her dress ready to go.  So fun!




Wednesday, January 12, 2011

November/December 2010

Wow!  Guess it has been almost 2 months since I posted anything here.  Let's see, where to start.  Her hair has grown out quite a bit and if possible, she is even more adorable.  She is trying new words every day.  The first consonants, like J, T, B.. are hard for her but she can say most vowels.  She even said "Ap-ple" the other day when that's what she wanted!  She has recently started to say "Oshw" (Josh) Daddy, which sounds a lot like it should be hard to write the difference.  She is very inquisitive and active.  She's strong-willed and likes a lot of attention.  She loves baths and showers and runs around telling everyone "Baaa" when she is going to take one.  When she looks at books she points out things and once you say them, like "bird" or something then everyone in the house has to say that word.  It's pretty funny.  The boys adore her. They do get a bit tired of her fussing at times & she runs around following everyone and taking in every little activity.  Boy, it was tough to sneak Christmas candy w/o her little hawk-eyes observing!! Her eating has really slowed down to the point that "war" breaks out at some meals to get her to eat.  It's actually a nice change from the early days when she was so undernourished.  Measured her today and she grew an inch in about a month!!  She's adorable and people constantly remark at how beautiful she is and how "spirited"!  My prayer for near-future is that she'll take a bit more interest in playing by herself w/ toys.

Gracie had a very nice first Thanksgiving at the Logan's.  Her mouth was still healing so she couldn't eat just anything. She actually had some granola fruit bars, fruit salad, and rolls (which were here favorite).  She isn't big on mashed potatoes or just about anything else that was on the Thanksgiving table. 

Her mouth healed pretty well overall.  It was a very painful couple weeks for her.  She was extremely cranky for several days and didn't like sleeping in the arm bands at all.  The stitches in the very back and the very front did not hold.  However, we were thrilled to hear that fixing the back part is just an office visit because the tissue is so soft, I guess.  They will lightly sedate her and she will NOT have to wear arm restraints. I think we'll have this done mid-March or so. The front part, just behind her teeth was not closed all the way & opened even further.  This part will be fixed when they put bone in the gum when she is 5 or 6 years.  We will be working with an orthodontist very soon, probably having the first consult in the spring but don't know how soon she would need to start with the apparatuses to keep her upper jaw as wide as possible as she grows.  Because of the closing of the palate, the upper jaw doesn't grow as large as it should so the orthodontics will help that.  Anyway, we know that there are probably several surgeries ahead for her but we'll take it as it comes!

Christmas was pretty wild with her. I thought the Christmas tree would be a huge problem but the main issue was the candy canes, which she desperately wanted.  I let her try one thinking that she wouldn't like them but of course, she loved it!  They were too crunchy for her to eat though so we eventually just got them out of sight.  She rode the snowmachine with Josh and I to get the Christmas tree and she did not appear frightened at all!  She was just wide-eyed and observant.  When we brought the tree in the house she ran around screaming and laughing/dancing.  I don't know what she thought or related it to but she could tell it was an exciting, happy time. Snow isn't scary to her anymore and we really should get her out in it more but it has been a REALLY cold winter so far.  We have lots of snow and the driveway is tunneled in. Christmas Day was kind of stressful for her.  You could see that it was kind of overwhelming to her & she was kind of a little stinker.  She played some with her new toys but mostly wanted the boys' Nerf guns!

Seems like we bond more each day and week.  She definitely knows that I'm "mama" now and keeps tabs on my whereabouts.  Anyway, so much to write but have to run.